NeonMadman

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Posts by NeonMadman

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  11

  Exchange of Literature between God's Organization and Babylon The Great

  by garyneal in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i read a similar thread concerning scars that a boy got from and alligator and from his loving mother and how that was related to scars in our life from satan and god (jehovah).

  reading this and other threads here that shows how witnesses use material from "babylon the great" for spiritual uplifting made me think of an couple of experiences my wife shared with me during her field service.. .

  one experience was when she was out in service with her dad.

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  NeonMadman

  I think it is just one of the urban legends that circulate endlessly throughout the org. I remember hearing several times as much as 40 years ago that it was not uncommon for clergymen in Christendom to get copies of the Watchtower and then crib material from it for their sermons. The implication was that the "spiritual food" in the magazines was of such high quality that even the evil clergy recognized it as a good source of ideas. Now that I have interacted with a fair number of churches, I'm quite confident in saying that any pastor, at least in an evangelical church, who was found to be getting his sermon material from the Watchtower, would almost certainly be quickly relieved of his duties.
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  14

  Can a Baptist be an Apostate?

  by cameo-d in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i never even heard of an "apostate" until a jw called me that.....and i'm not even a jw!.

  anyway, i am wondering if "apostate" is a term exclusive to cult groups only, like jws, mormons, and scientologists.

  i have never heard of a methodist or baptist apostate, but surely, there must be such a thing.. i have seen complaints where "apostate" xtians say they were kicked off websites that promote "mainstream xianity" or denominational religions, so there can never really be any deep discussions or debates on those sites.

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  NeonMadman

  Among evangelical Christians, the term "apostate" is usually reserved for someone who professes Christianity for a time, then turns completely away from it (and generally, opposes it in some way). I've heard Bart Ehrman referred to as an apostate, because he professed Christianity for many years, graduated from Moody Bible Institute (graduation from Moody requires that you affirm your faith in a statement of basic Christian beliefs), went to Princeton Seminary and worked under Bruce Metzger in textual criticism, but now refers to himself as an agnostic and publishes books that attempt to debunk the accuracy of the Bible. A Baptist who becomes a Methodist would not be considered an apostate in most circles (and the few churches that might would likely be thought of as near-cultic), nor would someone who just happens to disagree with certain tenets of the faith but still professed belief in Christ. The application of the term normally requires a departure from Christianity in any form.

  Last year, I left a Baptist church to join a Christian & Missionary Alliance church, but I am still very welcome at the Baptist church any time I visit, and have good friends there who would never think of shunning me. They do not regard me as having somehow departed from correct teaching, and, in fact, I was teaching their adult Sunday School classes right up till the week I left (and, I suspect, would be quickly tapped to do so again if I were to return).
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  23

  R.Franz "Christian Freedom" Bk - Misuse of Disfellowshipping -WT Hypocrisy

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just finished the chapter in ray's " christian freedom " book on " misuse of disfellowshipping .

  i highly recommend anyone reading it as it has numerous experiences of individuals who were mistreated so unjustly by the wt society's rigid rules - many in spite of 40, 50, or 60 yrs.

  of faithful alleigance to the wt society's rules.

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  NeonMadman

  " If people do not want to stay they are free to leave.... I cannot understand why those disagreeing simply do not leave quietly . "

  Yeah, just like people who become JW's quietly leave their old religion, without condemning or criticizing or knocking on the doors of people who still belong to that religion to tell them that they are wrong...
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  18

  Ten Signs You Are an Unquestioning Christian!

  by darth frosty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://i32.tinypic.com/j5k0if.jpg.

  i'm sorry dont know how to embed a pic.

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  NeonMadman

  10 Signs You Are an Unquestioning Atheist (I found this on another discussion board and thought it fit just fine here)

  1 You think the statement “My linage derives from evolved lizards” is more logical then “A higher intelligence created intelligent life on earth, according to their kind.” 2 You don’t accept the idea of God, but you talk about him more then most religious zealots 3 You despise the idea of faith, but you have a hyper-abundant amount of trust in “time and chance” 4 You despise organized religion by being a part of an organized religion against organized religion. 5 You claim that religious people are brainwashed, but you spout off quotes from renowned atheists to defend your beliefs. 6 Your best defense to the idea that religious people cram their beliefs down people’s throats is to cram your beliefs down people’s throats (Richard Dawkins) 7 You say the Bible is utterly made up non-sense, then use stories from it to condemn God…who you claim doesn’t exist. 8 One of your favorite arguments against believing the Bible is that it was written by men, but you unquestioningly believe science text books…written by men 9 You get stark raving mad when someone says God (who doesn’t exist) will send you to Hell (a place that doesn’t exist), and use that as “evidence” that God doesn’t exist. 10 You deny the testimony of countless millions of believers, but trust the research of a few hundred atheist...and call that being "open-minded"
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  13

  If I become a JW will I have to go door to door?

  by Darth plaugeis in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  of course not.

  no one forces you to do that, it's totally your decision.. lol remember that!

  !.

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  NeonMadman

  Though it's arguable, the scriptures certainly tend to support the idea of door-to-door evangelizing. After all, how can you shake the dust off your feet at an unwelcoming house if you never approach any houses?

  (Matthew 10:14) Wherever anyone does not take you in or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off your feet.

  I think it's a bit much to read door-to-door evangelism into that text. The fact that they might have gone to some homes hardly implies that they would pick a street and systematically call at every house. I'm not saying it couldn't have been that way, just that you can't make a strong case for it from the Bible.

  Even if you could establish with certainty that the early Christians preached from door to door, that wouldn't mean that it is the best or only system to use today. Christians back then rode mules and wore sandals; things are different now. There are much more effective ways to spread a message than trudging from house to house, especially in a society where unsolicited calls at the homes of strangers have fallen out of favor.
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  11

  bethel rooms for rent

  by DaCheech in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there was a letter posted on the congregation bulletin board.. it said that one can plan and put an application to rent brooklyn rooms for up to 3 days?.

  anyone know the details?.

  is contribution necessary?.

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  NeonMadman

  there was a letter posted on the congregation bulletin board.

  Ahem. You mean the information board, brother.
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  16

  are you glad to be done with this type of insanity (taken from yahoo e-mail group)

  by booby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friends,.

  i've been doing research and can find almost nothing on this in the research aids.. my question is this.

  at the end of the system, the calamity of the coming destruction will be enough to destroy most of the life on this planet.

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  NeonMadman

  This shows the tendency among JW's to think of God as less than almighty, as being bound by physical laws that somehow exist apart from himself. That isn't the description of the Bible's God, who can do all things, who established the physical laws and can supersede them as he sees fit.
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  9

  Holy mother of pearl, I've gotta get me one of these!

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "umm, excuse me, do you have this shirt in branch-dividian-brown?

  jehovah's-witness-gray is so 2009.".

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  NeonMadman

  Shouldn't it say, "Proud to be ONE OF Jehovah's Witnesses"?
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  15

  Know of a searchable NWT other than WT-CD or clone thereof?

  by blondie in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  not the www.watchtower.org one, not searchable by word or phrase..

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  NeonMadman

  Possible, pm me with an e-mail address and I'll send it. The file is the NWT exactly as the printed copies, so the name "Jehovah" appears in the NT where they have inserted it.
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  27

  Jehovah's Christian Witnesses??

  by Junction-Guy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  when i was a kid and on vacation in florida about 20 years ago, my dad had mentioned about an "apostate group" in florida and that it was called "jehovah's christian witnesses" supposedly they even had their own kingdom halls, how many others here are aware of this group and do they even exist still?

  dave

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  NeonMadman

  Randy, do you know who flew the plane over Three River Stadium in Pittsburgh during the 1978 International Assembly?